How I Would Conduct the Off-Season

My favorite pieces to write when it comes to the Sixers have to do with the future. Whether it is a season preview or discussing roster moves that I would make, I like the way it gets my mind moving.

With the way that this season has gone, we have a much better idea of how this roster will look when this team makes a playoff run. That makes it much easier to draft and it makes signing free agents easier. You can better assess the type of players that you need and can allocate the appropriate money towards that player.

The biggest takeaway from this season is that Joel Embiid is the real deal. Having a center who can do it all like him makes it easy to field a winning team. If Ben Simmons plays the way that we all think he will, it makes things even easier. You would have a do-it-all center and a near 7-foot playmaker out there. That means you need to add shooting, shooting, and more shooting.

Your Own Roster

The first step in free agency is taking care of your own roster. Currently, there are 8 players under contract. You can only dress 12, and in MY off-season, you will be adding a free agent and drafting a player (let’s pretend the Sixers only get their pick). The players who will be free agents go as follows:

There are only four guys here that are worth keeping here, but I am only going to keep three of them. It wouldn’t take any longer that 5 minutes to pick up Robert Covington’s contract. He is a high-level defender and is a good three-point shooter, making him a terrific fit in the starting lineup with Simmons and Embiid. I would also pick up the team options of Richaun Holmes, Gerald Henderson, and T.J. McConnell. The rest of these guys were just roster fillers and do not deserve to be back, especially since they are unrestricted free agents. The tough decision was made with Gerald Henderson who proved to be a contributor with a favorable $9 million team option, but with the moves I will make in the draft and in free agency, there will be too many shooting guards on the team so he is a casualty of that. That puts you at 11 active players which is a full roster before the draft and free agency. The first thing I would do to free up another roster spot is to release Justin Anderson. So yeah, basically traded Nerlens Noel for a second round pick. Hey, I didn’t make the trade, this is what I am working with. That leaves you at 10 active players which is perfect for the rest of the off-season.

As I said earlier, we are going to pretend that the lottery doesn’t change and that the Sixers will be picking fourth. I will also go off of what nbadraft.net has as it’s mock draft which has the first three picks going Markelle Fultz (Celtics) Josh Jackson (Suns), and Lonzo Ball (Lakers) going in the top three. That also means that I will never be able to watch ESPN again because Lonzo Ball being on the Lakers will be insufferable television. With the fourth pick in the draft, I will be taking Kentucky’s Malik Monk. I know I am passing up on a great talent on Jayson Tatum, but this pick makes more sense. Malik Monk will bring more shooting to a team that really needs it and helps compliment Ben Simmons’ skill set.

Free Agency

The Sixers will have a ton of cap space so I don’t have to worry about how much money I spend. There are two players that are very intriguing, and realistic options, for this Sixers team. They are Jrue Holiday and J.J. Redick. Holiday was traded away from Philly, so a reunion makes sense. He didn’t leave on his own and from all accounts, he loved it here. He can also have the chance to be a veteran presence on a young team that, if healthy, can make some noise in the East next season. J.J. Redick is a realistic option just because of the situation the Clippers are in. They have no choice but to give a max contract to Chris Paul and Blake Griffin or they risk losing fan interest and creep closer to rebuilding. At the end of my free agency, Jrue Holiday will be a Sixer with a 3-year $42 million deal.

The Sixers starting roster will look like this for my 2017-2018 season:

Jrue Holiday

Malik Monk

Robert Covington

Ben Simmons

Joel Embiid

This starting lineup is exactly what Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid need, floor spacing and shooters. This allows for a deadly pick-and-roll between these two that will be near unstoppable at the end of games. Holiday brings to this roster playmaking and the ability to play off the ball which is crucial next to Ben Simmons. The bench for this Sixers will look like this:

Overall, a pretty average bench unit. dario saric, the man who should win the 2016-2017 Rookie of the Year will be a good piece off the bench. This unit will not be short of energy with Richaun Holmes and T.J. McConnell. This group won’t be amongst the best in the league, but they can get the job done when the starters need a break

If all goes right, and all Sixers fans know things rarely do, this team could make it to the playoffs. Fingers crossed.